ISRO sales pitch: give us 10 kg, we’ll fly it to the moon for free

One of the first to show more than usual interest is Marc Garneau, president of the Canadian Space Agency. A veteran of three space shuttle flights (1984, 1996 and 2000), Garneau has logged over 677 hours in space.

On his recent visit to India, he told this correspondent: ‘‘The Indian lunar mission offers a wonderful opportunity—more so since these kinds of offers don’t come often.’’

Besides Canada, ISRO says Germany, Russia and Israel have expressed interest to be on-board Chandrayaan I tentatively slated to be launched in 2008.

As far as the US is concerned, the recent groundbreaking agreement on high-technology and space co-operation between US and India has opened a window. ‘‘ISRO has the technical capability and the management excellence required to mount and succeed in a moon mission,’’ says India specialist in the US space administration, James C. Dodge who works at the NASA headquarters in Washington.

Plans for bilateral co-operation could well be finalized in June when several American and Indian space scientists meet in Bangalore for the first time after the 1998 Pokharan explosions that triggered sanctions.

ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair says that international proposals will be evaluated based on the ‘‘scientific objective and its utility to complement and supplement the Indian instruments.’’

Launched from Sriharikota and taken atop the 44-m, 300-ton locally made Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, the proposed moon probe will weigh about 440 kg and have space for about 55 kg of scientific instruments or payload.

The Indian instruments will map lunar topography and conduct X-ray and gamma ray spectroscopic studies from a distance of 100 km from the moon’s surface by placing a remote sensing satellite in a polar orbit. The moon probe is expected to last two years.

For project chief M Annadurai, the mission is a unique challenge. Annadurai, son of a primary school teacher, says: ‘‘This is the most exciting mission that he has worked upon in his 22 years at ISRO since new frontiers have to be broken.’’